The present invention relates to a vehicle anti-theft system and method.
In the control of fuel injection systems, electronic control units having volatile and non-volatile memory, input and output driver circuitry, and a processor capable of executing a stored instruction set are utilized to control various functions of the engine and its associated systems. A particular electronic control unit communicates with numerous sensors, actuators, and other electronic control units necessary to control various functions, which may include, for example, various aspects of fuel delivery and transmission control.
With vehicles, and particularly with heavy-duty trucks, it is very desirable to have a vehicle anti-theft system. In an existing vehicle anti-theft system for a heavy-duty truck, the anti-theft system is only armed when the engine is shutdown. The armed anti-theft system simply does not allow the truck to start. With the heavy-duty trucking industry becoming more and more competitive, advanced engine features such as anti-theft protection are becoming significantly more important. As such, although some anti-theft protection systems have been used on vehicles in the past, it is desirable to provide a system and method that allows more advanced anti-theft protection with additional functionality.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle anti-theft system and method that provide added functionality.
In carrying out the above object and other objects and features of the present invention, a vehicle anti-theft method for use in a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, an engine controller, and a memory, is provided. The method comprises receiving an arm password, comparing the arm password with a stored password in the memory. The method further comprises operating the engine in a theft protection mode in which the engine is permitted to operate at idle, when the arm password matches the stored password.
Preferably, the arm password is either received by manually entering the arm password, or is received by inserting a removable storage medium into a storage medium reader and subsequently reading the arm password from the removable storage medium. In a preferred embodiment, in addition to the arm password matching the stored password, at least one additional condition must exist to allow the engine to operate in the theft protection mode. As such, a preferred method further comprises checking the condition of the parking brake. The engine is operated in the theft protection mode when the arm password matches the stored password and the parking brake is engaged. Otherwise, the engine is operated in a different mode, such as, for example, a normal operating mode.
Further, a preferred method further comprises checking the condition of the vehicle speed sensor. The engine is operated in the theft protection mode when the arm password matches the stored password and the vehicle speed sensor indicates that the vehicle is stationary. Otherwise, the engine is operated in a different mode, such as, for example, a normal operating mode.
Embodiments of the present invention may employ a variety of different engine protection modes. For example, the theft protection mode for the engine may be configured to permit the engine to be shutdown and then manually restartted to idle. Further, for example, the theft protection mode for the engine may be configured to permit the engine to operate in a speed limited mode in addition to idle operation. The speed limited mode may be defined by an engine speed limit which engine speed is not permitted to exceed when in the theft protection mode. Alternatively, the speed limited mode may be defined by a road speed limit which vehicle road speed is not permitted to exceed when in the theft protection mode.
Further, in carrying out the present invention, a vehicle anti-theft method for use in a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, an engine controller, and a memory, is provided. The method comprises receiving an arm password, comparing the arm password with a stored password in the memory, determining a desired theft protection mode, and operating the engine in the desired theft protection mode when the arm password matches the stored password. The desired theft protection mode is determined from a plurality of theft protection modes. The plurality of theft protection modes includes at least one xe2x80x9cidlexe2x80x9d mode wherein the engine is permitted to operate at idle.
The desired theft protection mode may be determined based on current engine conditions, or may be selected by a vehicle operator. Preferably, the plurality of theft protection modes include a xe2x80x9cno engine startxe2x80x9d mode wherein the engine is shutdown and is not permitted to restart, and a xe2x80x9cstraight idlexe2x80x9d mode in which the engine is held at idle (possibly allowing manual shutdown and restart). Further, the plurality of theft protection modes preferably further includes a toggle idle mode in which the engine is switched between shutdown and idle based on at least one vehicle condition. The engine is preferably switched based on a vehicle cabin temperature, oil temperature, or battery voltage.
Still further, in carrying out the present invention, a vehicle anti-theft system for use in a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, an engine controller and a memory, is provided. The system comprises a display unit including an input device for receiving an arm password, and control logic. The control logic is operative to compare the arm password with a stored password in the memory. The control logic is further operative to determine a desired theft protection mode from a plurality of theft protection modes. The plurality of theft protection modes includes at least one xe2x80x9cidlexe2x80x9d mode wherein the engine is permitted to operate at idle, and a xe2x80x9cno engine startxe2x80x9d mode wherein the engine is shutdown and is not permitted to restart. The desired theft protection mode is determined as the at least one xe2x80x9cidlexe2x80x9d mode if the engine is operating at idle upon receiving the arm password. The desired theft protection mode is determined as the xe2x80x9cno engine start modexe2x80x9d if the engine is shutdown upon receiving the arm password. The control logic is further operative to operate the engine in the desired theft protection mode when the arm password matches the stored password. Alternatively, the desired theft protection mode may be determined from a calibrated value in the engine control module (ECM).
The input device may be, for example, a keypad for use by a vehicle operator to manually enter the arm password. Alternatively, the input device may be a storage medium reader for reading the arm password from a removable storage medium that is placed at the reader by a vehicle operator. Of course, the input device may take other forms and is not limited to those mentioned above.
The above object and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.